Enclosures or so-called "caps" for the bed of pickup trucks have become very popular. Caps of this type generally have included sides with arcuate corners to match the cab of the truck. At the rear of the cap a door is provided which covers the space between the tailgate and the cap top wall. This door swings upwardly and is mounted on a frame, such door and frame assembly being generally manufactured by specialty companies who sell the assembly to the truck cap manufacturer.
The caps of various manufacturers have cap sides inclined at different degrees to align the cap sides with the cab of the truck. Accordingly, suppliers offer assemblies with the sides of the door and frame at different angles to fit the caps. However, economics dictates that the number of such differently angles assemblies be limited and thus in general the different degree doors offered by the industry are 11, 15 and 17 degrees. This economic limitation has assisted in creating a problem that has plagued the industry for years primarily because of the construction and shapes of the top horizontal door frame member which essentially has become the standard for the industry.
The structure and shape of the top door frame member that causes the problem is that it is an extruded metal piece having a flat part with one surface adapted to abut against the rearward face of a cross support forming a part of the cap frame at the rear thereof. The opposite surface has an integral hinge flange of a complicated configuration extending rearwardly of the cap and adapted to telescopingly receive a similarly configurated hinge flange formed at the top edge of the door. The opposite surface also has a channel protrusion extending therefrom for receiving a trim strip that hides the fasteners which attach the door frame to the cross support of the cap frame.
Before our invention, the ends of the top door frame member have been cut along a straight vertical line which causes the extreme upper corner of the frame member to extend into and interfere with the molding formed on the top and sides of the door unless such corner is snipped off by the cap manufacturer or the cross support of the cap frame is moved downwardly thus reducing the size of the door.
Snipping off the corner is very unsatisfactory because it produces an unsightly appearance and also leaves a ragged sharp edge on which a person can be scratched or cut. Moving the cross support of the cap frame downwardly restricts the space between such cross support and the top edge of the tailgate leaving less space to enter the cap and also reducing the size of the door. Further, the appearance is adversely affected because the top of the door frame is located a greater distance from the top of the cap.
The industry has been attempting for years to solve the above problem but prior to our concept it has remained insolved.
The appearance of the standard trapezoidal door as above described, also has much to be desired because the ends are straight and do not in any way blend in with the arcuate shaped silhouette of the cap. As a result, so-called "radius" door and frame assemblies have been developed. Such radius assemblies form the sides and top of a bent metal frame member that more nearly conforms to the shape of the cap. However, the strength of trapezoidal doors is far superior and accordingly radius doors are not generally used where strength is a factor.